The Death of a Bride
by CeaCee
Summary: Emily was young, gullible, and so badly wanted love. She was willing to go against her father's wishes to be with a man that she somehow knew didn't really care for her. But what really happened on the night of her death? Burton briefly explained it, but I was left wanting more. So, I present to you a non canon version of Emily's death! Chapter One is up and ready! VictorXEmily


**Hey fun people who clicked on this story! Do you enjoy the movie The Corpse Bride as much as I do? Are you slightly bitter about the ending as much as I am? Then this story is definitely for you! And you should definitely read it, because it's going to be good, and you know...all that jazz!**

 **Seriously though, I shipped Victor and Emily hardcore! Like even when this movie first came out, I was seven btw, I wanted them to end up together. As much as I can appreciate Victor and Victoria's relationship, I think Emily was better suited for our young bachelor. If only Tim Burton's brilliant mind had thought the same thing.**

 **Oh well, because I'm here to write it in a way that I like. And I know that there are many fanfics out there that already portrayed this ending, but I have a different take on it. Not only do I want to explore the relationship between Victor and Emily, I also want to delve into Emily's death. Particularity the months leading up to it, and the night of. Even though it is briefly explained in the song, I was left with so many questions! So, I thought I would answer them..in a non canon way.**

 **So, I hope you all enjoy! This will probably be a short story..like 5 to 6 chapters, all ranging in this length. Unless I feel super creative one night, and bust out a super long chapter, which has been known to happen. Updates may be slow, just fyi. My life is busy, and I'm kind of writing this so that I have some sort of fun in my life.**

 **Anyways, enough of this boring stuff...go read!**

* * *

The moon illuminated the night sky, giving the clouds eerie shadows. The wind blew softly, sending tiny chills through the air. No sounds could be heard through out the tiny town, save for the church bells. A wedding was to be held, the second one of the night. But this wedding was no ordinary wedding, as it was a union between the living and the dead.

Victor had agreed to marry the corpse bride, and was waiting patiently for her to step down the aisle. He was not nervous, not like before. In fact, he felt joy within him. His heart was fluttering with excitement, and it quickened in pace when the doors to the front of the church opened, and the bride walked in.

Two skeleton children led the way, throwing flower petals to decorate the bland church. Emily walked gracefully behind them, her eyes tightly shut. She was afraid if she were to open them, that this wedding, that Victor, would all be but a dream. She inhaled deeply, not that it did anything for her, and quickly opened her eyes. Victor was there, gazing at her, with a goofy smile playing on his lips. Emily couldn't help but giggle.

She approached Victor, and took his hand which he had extended towards her. He led her up the steps, the loving look he gave her never leaving his dark eyes. The old skeleton in front of them began a little speech, mainly to entertain the audience before them.

He gestured to Victor, "Living first."

Emily stood at the alter, smiling kindly at her love. His voice was music to her ears, as he recited his vows to her perfectly. She was sure her heart would burst from her chest, if it hadn't already been put to rest. She could feel tears building up behind her eyes, as Victor held out the empty goblet to her.

"With this hand," she spoke, her words echoing through the quiet church, "I will lift your sorrows. Your cup will never empty, for I will be-"

She stopped. Mid vow she stopped. Victor gave her a puzzled look, nodding his head for her to continue on. But Emily was not looking at Victor. No, she was staring, in utter shock, at a guest who had slipped in. A guest who was not welcome here. Emily blinked, not sure if the figure standing right behind her love was actually there. But to her disappointment, Victoria remained, hiding behind a pillar, staring at the corpse bride in horror.

Why hadn't Victoria called out? Or tried to stop the wedding? Emily's thoughts raced through her mind, trying to contemplate a solution to this odd encounter. Upon seeing Victoria, Victor's ex fiancee, a realization had hit Emily. She knew now that this was wrong. This marriage could not carry on, because Victor was meant to be with Victoria. They would be happily wed, if it weren't for her. If she hadn't been lying in wait for her true love.

Emily had placed herself under that tree oh so many years ago, with the idea that her one true love would eventually find her. At the time, she had no idea what would happen to her. Perhaps if she had, she would have stayed "Downstairs" for a longer period of time. Being in the land of the living as a corpse took it's toll on her. Her body had slowly begun to decay, her flesh literally falling right off of the bone. With her new appearance, she began to doubt that any man would love her. But the corpse had held onto hope, no matter how bleak the situation seemed. With each passing night, it became more and more difficult for her to wait. The idea seemed ridiculous, and though she did not want to give up, she almost had. Until Victor.

And now she was here, about to live out her lifelong dream. Victor was willing to marry her now. This marriage wasn't by chance anymore. He had stepped in, while she was crumbled on the floor, stating that this was what he wanted.

It may have been because Victoria was engaged to somebody else, yes. It also may have been because he had grown rather fond of her in the day that they had known one another. They shared many common interests, like the piano for instance. Emily knew that, at the very least, Victor would be happy with her. Could she say the same about Victoria?

She stuttered, trying to spit out the last words in her vows, "For I will be- Your cup will never empty-"

Regardless, she knew that taking Victor away from the living, that ending his life early just so that they could be together, was wrong. She was a bride once, and her dreams were taken from her. Wasn't she doing the same exact thing to Victoria? If she were to stop the wedding, take the Wine of Ages away from Victor, she would be sacrificing her long awaited happiness. Emily wasn't sure what mattered more to her.

Victor's words broke her from her trance, as he finished her vow, "For I will be your wine."

Emily watched as Victor raised the goblet to his lips. She was frozen in fear, as she still was not sure what to do. Her eyes darted to Victoria, who seemed to display a similar state of emotions. The corpse bride tried to muster up her courage to cry out to Victor. To reach out her bony hand, and knock the poison away from him.

Victor was, of course, oblivious to the inner turmoil that his bride to be was going through. He also had no idea that Victoria was standing right behind him, watching his every move. He was too busy with his own thoughts and emotions to really notice anything outside of himself, and Emily.

Somewhere, deep down, he wanted this. He wanted to start a new life with his new found friends "Downstairs." There was nothing left for him in the land of the living. His parents mistreated him, Victoria was married to someone else, and his reputation was tarnished. But none of that mattered in the land of the dead. Things were carefree there, as they should be, since the ultimate fear had already plagued the residence. Death.

Victor had accepted this as his fate. In reality, this marriage was no different than the one to Victoria. He had known Emily for the same amount of time. The only difference was that this marriage was for happiness, not for wealth. And while Victor had grown fond of Victoria, he had grown to love the lovely corpse in front of him. The corpse who was whimsical, fun loving, enthusiastic, and well versed on the piano. The women who had terrified him only a night ago, now filled him with happiness. And he waited patiently for her to finish her vows.

Victor was not sure why Emily had tripped over them. It didn't really cause him any concern, because he himself use to have trouble with them. Perhaps, it had been so long that she had said them herself, that she had forgotten. Certainly a possibility, as Victor felt that any questions about her death would be rude, or invasive. So, in order to get what he expected to be a painful death over with, he quickly finished her vows for her, and raised the cup to his lips.

The liquid was tart, like any good wine would be. Although it had a slightly odd taste, due to the poison, it went down rather smoothly. Victor drank the Wine of Ages until it was gone, calmly setting down the now empty cup onto the table. He looked at Emily and smiled, furrowing his brow when she did not share it with him. But, his mind remained on that thought for only a moment, as his breath suddenly became rigid in his chest.

Victor keeled over, gasping for air, choking back cries of pain. Emily kneeled down beside him, holding onto him tightly. Tears started to leak down her cheeks, as a wave of guilt washed over her.

"I'm so so sorry Victor!" She sobbed, petting his soft, black hair. "I should have stopped you!"

This caused the audience of the dead and the living to gasp loudly. Murmurs went through the crowd, as everyone wondered if the bride was having second thoughts. And if she had, why didn't she stop the poor boy from killing himself? Several of the guests from the land of the dead hushed the crowd, as they had guessed why Emily had remained silent. Those who knew her, and her story, could easily assume that this was not easy on the bride. The murmurs turned to whispers, until everyone was focused on Victor, whose breath was becoming shallow.

His body finally became still, the room quiet once more. Emily brushed a stray strand of blue hair out of her face, her eyes finding Victoria's. The young girl was wiping away tears, her bottom lip quivering immensely. Her body was shaking, as she had just witnessed the death of someone that she thought she loved. The death of a friend at the very least.

Victoria turned away, in fear that she might faint. She did not want to draw anymore attention to herself than she already had. She thought about slipping back out into the night, but she could not even fathom where she would go. Her home was a prison, where her new husband laid in wait. The mere thought of him caused the young women to cringe.

If only Victor- well it was never good to dwell on the "what ifs" in life. It would only cause your reality to seem worse than it actually was. And Victoria's current reality was very bad, and only seemed to grow worse with each passing moment.

Victoria breathed in deeply, letting the air expand her lungs until she felt as if they might burst. Letting the air escape, she turned around once more to look upon the newlyweds.

Victor was still on the ground, a peaceful expression on his face. His once porcelain skin was now a light blue. Emily was still crying over is lifeless body, her tears landing on Victor's cheeks. It almost seemed as if he wasn't going to wake up, as if something had gone wrong, and the wedding had all been for nothing. But suddenly, Victor stirred. His hand went to his cheek, wiping away one of his wife's tears.

"Victor?" Emily sniffled, a faint smile forming on her lips.

The groom sat up, extending his arms outward. He gazed at his blue hands, and gasped quietly. The poison had done it's job. Victor was officially dead, a state that his brain could not fully wrap around. He felt no pain, no discomfort. Perhaps a bit discombobulated and confused, but nothing that was too overwhelming.

"Victor," Emily said again, "How do you feel?"

He examined Emily's face, noticing that one single tear trickled down her cheek. He reached for it, brushing it away softly with his thumb. He then smiled at her, taking her hands in his, and bringing them both to an upright position.

"Never better," He said.

Emily fell into his arms, and began crying onto his shoulder. Victor looked down at her, and wrapped one arm around her waist. He wasn't sure why she was crying, but thought it better to comfort her rather than ask questions.

"I'm so sorry," She whispered.

"Whatever for?"

Emily pulled away, and gazed into his eyes. For a moment, she couldn't find the right words. She knew he might feel betrayed if she revealed Victoria to him. She silently cursed herself for not doing the rational thing, for not stopping him. But it was far too late now. Not able to bare the guilt, she cast her eyes to the floor, and pulled away from him.

"I should have stopped you," was all she was able to say.

Victor smiled slightly, delicately lifting her chin so that she was looking at him once more. "Emily, it's alright. I wanted to do this for you, for us! Don't fret over it."

"But you're not mine. I took you away from the person that you loved."

Victor cocked his head, confused as to what she meant. Then realization took over, and he remembered who she was speaking of. "Victoria?"

Not paying attention to the conversation in front of her, and only perking up when she heard her name, Victoria stepped out of the shadows revealing herself to the groom. Victor stepped back in surprise. How long had she been hiding in the church?

"Victoria?" Victor repeated, stepping closer to her.

"Victor, please pardon my intrusion," She stuttered.

"What are you doing here, shouldn't you be with-"

The doors to the front of the church were thrown open, interrupting the small conversation. A tall, older gentleman, with stunning white hair, stalked into the room. He sneered at the scene before him, cringing at the dead that still sat in the pews. Victoria let out a gasp, and stumbled back to the pillar. Victor recognized that man as Lord Barkis, Victoria's new husband. Sensing the impending danger, Victor slowly followed Victoria, wanting to protect her from any threat that her husband might impose.

"Oh," his deep voice echoed off of the silent walls, "how touching! I always cry at weddings. Our young lovers together at last." Barkis made his way towards the altar, the sickening sweet tone in his voice fading with each step. "Surly now they can live happily ever after." He was in front of them now, and in a blink of an eye, he grabbed Victoria by the arm, pulling her close to him. "But you forget...she's still my wife! And I will not leave here empty handed!"

Emily blinked, as years of suppressed memories came flooding back to her. This man, this Lord Barkis, was oddly familiar. She struggled to place him, her mind still a bit fuzzy. It had been so long since she had last revisited her memories from her past life. Now, she found herself wishing she had done so more often.

But all at once, as if Maggot hand flipped a switch in her brain, she remember who this man was. She knew him very well. She blinked several times, not wanting to process all of this information. What in the world was _he_ doing here?

"You?" Emily whispered, drawing Lord Barkis' attention away from Victoria.

Barkis was obviously startled. He didn't need the same amount of time to remember the corpse in front of him. Her image was forever burned into his memory. Even in his worst nightmares, he never dreamed that he would see her lovely face again.

"Emily?" He questioned, stepping back, dragging Victoria with him.

"You!" The bride said, this time with more confidence.

"But...but I left you!"

"For dead!" Emily hissed.

The bride shut her eyes, reliving the months leading up to her death, and the night of.


End file.
